I don't know about you, but I was never happier to see March 20th arrive on my calendar!  After the winter we had, with record snows and the kids home what seemed like half the winter, I have never been more ready for spring.  Now that the sun is warmer and I can actually see the ground, I am ready to head outdoors and do some reading.

Don't get me wrong -- I love cuddling up on the couch with my daughter, a blanket, and a book as much as the next mom.  But there is something equally appealing about carrying that blanket and book outside and having a picnic...or climbing in a tree...or hiding in a treehouse...or lazing in the  hammock.  You get the picture.  The great thing about books is that you can take them anywhere.  In honor of spring, I've put together a list with a few favorites that are ideal for sharing outside, and added some ways you can use them.

  • Abner Doubleday: Baseball Pioneer by Montrew Dunham, illustrated by Cathy Morrison.  Abner Doubleday grew up in Auburn, New York, in the 1820s and 30s.  Abner, his brother Tom, and their friends spent most of their free time playing and making up all sorts of bat and ball games.  Though Auburn was a small town, the boys found it to be an exciting place to grow up.  Abner's family, teachers, and friends helped form his character and enabled him to become a famous general, businessman, and...a baseball pioneer.  This is a biography for middle readers.  Grab some baseball mitts and a ball!  This is a fictional biography that will (further) whet your son's appetite to play ball!  (ages 8 to 12) 

  • Baby Owl's Rescue by Jennifer Keats Curtis, illustrated by Laura Jacques.  While playing baseball in their backyard, Maddie and her brother Max discover a baby owl.  The Great Horned owlet had fallen out of his nest.  They watched as their mom, a wildlife rehabilitator.  They helped their mom create a secondary nest and watched first as the firemen placed the nest in the tree, and then as the mother owl returned to care for her baby.  This picture book offers a story about animal rescue and reminds kids that these are wild animals, not pets.  This is a wonderful story, but also a perfect, much-needed contribution to nature reading for kids.  Given the number of dwindling wildlife habitats, kids need to learn safety habits for wild animals, just as they do domesticated ones.  (ages 4 to 10) 

  • The Best Nest by Doris L. Mueller, illustrated by Sherry Neighdigh.  Mother birds are sad.  They have no place to lay their eggs and always seem to be searching for a safe spot.  They admire Maggie Magpie's nest, and they ask her to teach them.  Maggie agrees, but each time she tries to explain a step, a bird gets an idea and flies off to create their own.  As her class gets smaller, Maggie gets angrier.  Will all the birds build a nest?  A clever story about building nests is wrapped in this book full of facts about birds.  This is a picture book story that has lots of nonfiction material in it, as well as activities at the back.  Use this as a guide book as you look for birds and their houses in your neighborhood.  (ages 3 to 8)

  • Here Comes T. Rex Cottontail by Lois G. Grambling, illustrated by Jack E. Davis.  This is a picture book for the busy kid!  The Easter Bunny, aka Peter Cottontail, is sick.  His timing couldn't be worse...tomorrow is Easter!  T. Rex has volunteered to deliver all of Peter's eggs, and has been practicing his bunny hop.  He hasn't quite mastered it yet, and all of the eggs are ruined when T. Rex falls over.  He has no more eggs.  What's a T. Rex to do?  This seasonal book has lessons in friendship and creative problem solving.  Although this isn't mentioned in the story, this book is a natural segue to an egg hunt.  (ages 2 to 6)

  • John Audubon: Young Naturalist by Miriam E. Mason, illustrated by Cathy Morrison.  Jean Jacques Audubon, son of a French Sea Captain, was born in Haiti in 1785.  Beginning in early childhood, he was fascinated with birds and their habitats.  He was determined to preserve the beauty and habitats of birds for posterity by painting life-size portraits of them.  This is a fictionalized version of John Audubon's life.  Grab some binoculars, a sketchpad, and a pencil and head outdoors with your budding artist.  This chapter book biography is a great read while you're listening to the birds around you.  (ages 8 and up)

  • Lost in the Wood written and illustrated by Carl R Sams II and Jean Stoic.  In this photo-illustrated book, a young deer waits quietly for his mother.  The other woodland animals are worried that his mom has left him, but he assures them that she'll be back.  This would be a fun book to read in the woods before or after a walk.  The dialogue-style text also makes it easy to turn into a "script."  (ages 2 to 8)

  • Take a Backyard Bird Walk, Take a City Nature Walk, Take a Tree Walk (Take a Walk(R) series) written and illustrated by Jane Kirkland.  These books are a walking guide, a nature reference, an ecological handbook, and a personal journal, all in one.  They teach kids how to observe and identify plants and animals, and describe how the animals and plants help each in the ecosystem.  It also includes a field guide on how to identify urban plants, birds, bugs, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles.  There are activities, artwork, and stories that explore the animal's world in the man built environment.  This is a great nonfiction series for enjoying the outdoors.  Each book is its own reference tool and guide book, complete with checklists so you can keep track of your observations.  (ages 6 and up)

  • Wake Up, It's Spring! written and illustrated by Lisa Campbell Ernst.  After a long winter, it's now time for spring to arrive.  From the ground to the sky, the creatures of the earth announce, in turn, that it's time for spring.  This is a picture book that sequences how spring unfolds.  Like "Lost in the Wood," this would be a good book to share before or after a walk.  Use it as a "checklist" to see which things in the book you can find in your own backyard or neighborhood.  (ages 2 to 5)

If you're looking for fun places to read -- or you have a favorite place that is a little "beyond" the norm -- head over to Needle and ThREAD, literacy advocate and needlework stitcher Jen Funk Webber has a series that profiles Extreme Readers.  Whatever you do, wherever you read, I hope you enjoy a great spring day and a good book!